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| HC calls for discontinuing use of pellet gun to stop violence | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, July 23: The Jammu and Kashmir high court today asked government to ensure timely treatment of those who have suffered eye injuries government action in the Valley in last two weeks.
"This is a very serious matter. Immediate action has to be taken," a division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice M H Attar said in response to media reports suggesting dearth of equipment and paucity of required number of specialist doctors at SHMS to enable timely treatment to people who have suffered ocular injuries due to pellets in last two weeks. "It is everybody's concern. It is coming in newspapers daily and you (advocate general) got three days to inform the court about the number of patients with eye injuries. You are not with the report today and it would mean that something is missing, something is lacking. Somebody losing his eyesight, loses everything. He loses his universe," the bench observed.
One of the reports said the SMHS hospital's ophthalmology department has admitted 183 patients with pellet injuries in eyes since July 8. Six patients, it said, have lost vision in both eyes, while 10 patients are blinded in one eye due to ruptured owing to pellets and later eviscerated by the surgeons and about 140 patients need retina surgeries within the next three weeks. Quoting doctors, the report said the SMHS hospital can conduct surgeries of 3 to 4 patients in a day which means roughly 28 surgeries in a week. To operate upon 140 patients, it may take about five weeks, meaning thereby that a number of patients may lose eye globe due to shrinkage and will become visually disabled for life. "The details in news item published, if found true by the authorities, immediate steps have to be taken to treat the patients including conducting of retina surgeries. Want of space or operation table or surgical items or surgeons cannot be an answer to deny timely treatment to the patients who are to be treated for getting vision in their eyes," the court said and directed the Director, Health Services Kashmir, as well as the Principal, Government Medical College Srinagar, to go through the news item and take a decision forthwith so as to enable the persons admitted for eye treatment are treated without delay.
" It is made clear that if it is found that all the patients cannot be treated in SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, patients be shifted to other hospitals (outside) for providing them the treatment including surgeries," the court said and directed the authorities to file a status report on July 26 at 10.30 A.M. The other report, referred to by the court highlights suffering of a 5-year-old boy from Kokernag being treated for severe pellet injury in the hospital.
"Such incidents shall have to be taken note of by the State for not only giving appropriate treatment but also to give compensation to the affected persons, families," the court said. The court also referred to pictures in newspapers, showing the 5-year-old Nasir laying on a bed with his left eye bandaged.
"One cannot look at this photograph. No sensitive soul can bear it. 5-year-old child! You can't accuse him of throwing stones," the court said. During the hearing of the PIL, it was also brought to the notice of the court that police and other law enforcing agencies are not all the medical shops to open and sell medicines. "There are media reports that even medical shops are not to run in some areas. Tell us whether medical shops can be ordered to be closed?" the bench asked the advocate general. Court called for discontinuing use of pellet guns in wake of Union home minister Rajnath Singh's statement in Lok Sabha on July 21. "Home minister on the floor of the Lok Sabha declared that he will have committee of experts to report within two months for having substitute to pellets. This must be sufficient for the government to discontinue use of pellet guns now," observed the division bench. |
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